Automatic wax mat



SePf 12,1950 l H.-A. ANDRESEN ETAL 2,521,817

AUTQMATIC wgx um n Filed Aug. 1o, 194s' INVENTOR. #evry nafresew n Tron/news Patented Sept. 12, 1950 were AUT-QMATIC `WAX MAT een Anwesen and lier .El .einen Fairmont, Minn.

einem een 10, est ser-a1 Ne een intention relates to nais-and .the like @ed particularly te .an 'automatic dispensing niet i501 .dispensine'or applying `couml-innited. and/er material to. thesole of shes brought into sontact vwith'the mat.

.- yThe main .object of our .invention is t9, provide a special dispensing mat of the 4indicated .Gilar- -acter-Lwhicn contains acharge ef material such as powdered wax adapted to be dispensed by .the mat and applied" thereby to the solesof shoes of a person who steps on or wipes, the feet on the Another object is to provide such a dispensing mat which may becharged o r renewed with a fresh chargef"pwderedwaxwhen the original A further object is to have such a waxfdispensing met which Primarily forms a. @meiner for the wax tdfbe *dispensed* and likewise a stationarapplicator for applying the wax dispensed thereby; and which in addition has a fabric' =cover ci" envelope for concealing "the""true "nature f of the mat-hand even providing an ornamental appe'arancetherefor. I fr It is also an object to produce a dispensing mat or applicator as indicated which may be made of rubber, plastic or other resilient or partly resilient material perforated upon the upper side beneath the fabric cover While internally supported in a resilient manner to maintain the mat in proper form and operative condition.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in further detail as the specification proceeds.

In order to facilitate ready comprehension of this invention, for a proper appreciation of the salient features thereof, the invention is illustrated on the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a mat made according to the invention `and embodying the same in a practical form;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section taken on line 2-2 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the mat with a portion of the cover removed to disclose details.

In the views the same reference numerals indicate the same or like parts.

In ballrooms or dancing pavilions and the like, it is frequently the case that the oor is either too dry and sticky or slippery, due to the lack of wax or too much wax. The partial lack of wax or excess thereof on a floor is often due to poor judgment on the part of the attendants who misjudge the proper amount to :be applied to the oorso that'it' will smoothly support foo't Imove-- merits 'without being slippery.

Inview of 'this situation, it has occurred to us that the proper amount ofwax is at least partly ainatt'e'r ofpersnal'opinion, and if left to the individual willl-ikely result in complete satisfactii to' all coincerned. ""Ilhus; after due consideration'f this problem, We have 'succeeded in producing'aspecial wax-dispensing matt forindividil i's'e by 'vv'liclr eachperso'ri 'may' apply'just the right'amoiintof waxto'the solev of the shoe instead; afar-,1y gnrous'waxig bf the floor;"as

be' par cularly described.

I-Ie ce,l inthe y'.'acltice of invention, and ref ring 'agai'to the drawing; a substantially a1-ear inea a" 4; inonds; ai initieel container, generally indicated at 5,A consisting lof I a .fiat betteln i Peripheral. Walls 1l. 'irfritg `inwardly 'and intes rally from the bottoni 'E and ierrals @ver its @eine Surface by a P1gi1`iy-"bf dispnsigaperture's yI 0, I0," etcl The 'container including the beiten en@ the marginal tell-ST 8l`et'c`, as well as' "the'top,"V is `preferab'lymade of semi-resilient grade of rubber, plastic or the like While the interior space II between the upper Wall or top 9 and the bottom 6 is preferably lled with powdered wax I2.

In order to maintain the chamber I I, in proper form and prevent the top 9 from collapsing either from its own weight or from the weight of a person momentarily standing upon the mat, a large number of supporting springs I3, I3, etc., are distributed between the bottom 6 and the top 9 at regular intervals intermediate the apertures I0, I0 in such fashion that the entire top is thus supported and will resume its elevated parallel condition with respect to the bottom 6 immediately upon release thereof by the person using the mat by removing his shoes therefrom, and thereby ensuring that the mat will remain in perfectly flat condition with a presentable appearance. In order to fix the springs in proper position, each spring is provided with a downwardly-extending stem I4 extending through the bottom wall 6 and terminating upon the exterior thereof at the bottom surface in a single-turn at coil I5 which serves as a foot or anchorage for the spring in each case.

Entirely covering and surrounding, and thereby concealing, the hollow mat or container 5 thus far described, is a fabric cover I6 having the sides 2,521,817 fr I i a container of at least partly resilientl material having a substantially flat bottom, peripheral walls extending upwardly from the edges of the bottom, a perforate at top secured to the peripheral walls, a plurality of compression coil springs disposed between the bottom and top for resiliently supporting the latter in normal spaced lparallelis,mI with respect ,to the bottom, each ,'"springy Alichting a depending stem; extending 5 to the internal chamber lll in order to provide l facilities for charging the mat with a new charge of powdered wax when the original charge has run low. y ,n A

The action of the mat is evident from the fact that when a person steps on the same, the E pressure of the foot will partly .compresscertain of the springs I3, I3 and depress the upper wall y through said bottom andterminatingexteriorly ,upon the latter in an anchoring coil, a fabric envelope for the container serving to conceal the latter and the perforations in the top, and a charging valve in the latter accessible through said,` fabric envelope for introducing powdered wax into the container.

"i -2.' A Wax dispensing mat, comprising a low sub- 9 of the wax container 5 within andthereby cause pulverized Wax to rise through apertures Il), l0 and through the upper fabric I6 to make contact with the sole of a shoe applied to -the fabric. If the shoe is dragged across the fabric a few times, the application of the `wax will be reinforced to the desired extent, and as soon as the feet are removed from the mat, springs I3 will cause the upper wall 9 again to resume its parallel flat condition with respect to the bottom 6, ready for instant use againfby the, next person desiring to wax their shoes. A particular ad.

vantage of the invention is that while the floor may be partially waxed, which,` of course, is desirable, yet the main portion of the wax serving the desirable functions involved in this case is to be applied to thek shoes and not to the door, and hence the desirable conditiony is therebycarried out by the person wearing the shoes lthus waxed, and each person, therefore, is Aable to accommodate himselfv accordingto vhiso wn experience and taste. k .l

Manifestly, variations maybe resortedl to. and parts and features may be modified .or usedl without others within the scope of rthe appended claims. l

Having now fully described our. inventiomfwe claim:

1. .An automatic waxfdispensing mat including stantially flat resilient container including 9. substantially horizontal top and bottom which are vertically spaced apart to receive the wax betwcen them,` the top of the oontainerhaving a plurality 'of dispensing aperturesa pluralityof compressiblecoil springs arranged between the top and bottom'for maintaining the same resiliently spaced apart, each spring including a, depending longtudinal'stem extending through the bottom and a lateral substantially vflat anchoring coil secured to the'stem and vengagingbeneath the bottom, and a, fabric envelope for'thevcontainer and serving to conceal the same and cover the dispensing openings. y I HENRY A. ANDRESEN. ROY R. STADE.4 I

REFERENCES. CITED The following references are-of record in the le of this patent:'-A

UNITED s'rATEsPA'If'ENTs i -Date i 

